Doesn't Rappstar already have a prestigious career as a game developer in California?

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

Prestigious? You can’t be serious.

You can't be serious you think he was serious.

Exactly.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

Win a big settlement from Dimond and retire??

https://rappstar.com/.../11/what-comes-next/

Jordan already shared this.

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blog

ajthomas wrote:

You guys have fans here... some are wondering what your career plans are? Anything you care to share?

I was working thru a post which I may publish soon. In short I have unilateral vestibular hypofunction, basically one ear sends mixed messages about my position on this planet to my brain sending conflicting signals which then my brain has to process with the eyes and proprioception. End result is some imbalance that is always present. I have had it at least since post mono Feb 2017 possibly even earlier. I dealt with it all last year but my ENT just thought it was middle ear infection glue ear with Eustachian tube dysfunction (Negative ear pressure). It wasn't until further testing that they found the unilateral vestibular hypoufunction and I have a lesion on an MRI that shows what they believe is still some fluid in the mastoid. It was being sent to another Neuroradiologist for a second opinion.


Bottom line is that while I can still be a triathlete and I am working towards building greater balance through increased eye and proprioception training, along with vestibular rehabilitation, the vestibular is still the most important part of the equation and the weakness is a great limiter. My career as a triathlete was always that of a grinder, not pure talent. It leaves me unsure if I can still grow as an athlete. I have been pretty stalled out as a result but I am not giving up hope. One thing for sure is that I am not going to be in great shape for a while and don't have any plans to race seriously until Ironman Chattanooga at the earliest. I'll work on finishing up that post :)

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I wish you well. I can only imagine the grit you employ as a triathlete will lend itself to your recovery / adaptation.

Did you have a full on vestibular test yet? Possible late onset Meniere's disease? I had the test recently, the long one that tracks your eye movements in various situations as well as reaction times to sudden movements. The test lasted about three hours. Had mine due to a blast injury were I was knocked out for 20min.

I had VNG and Caloric testing for the unilateral vestibular hypofunction diagnosis. My testing for that component was about an hour in total, which as you know is a pretty grueling hour of testing - not exactly a fun test. The audiogram showed mild hearing loss in one ear which is what was enough to prompt them to two do the dual MRIs brain and IAC. Aural fullness is another prevalent symptom and was probably the first thing I really ever noticed. While the lesion was said to be fluid in the mastoid, I really wonder about other possibilities but Meniere's is probably much lower on the list. To me the audiogram seems more reasonable to be the result of the fluid in there to some extent if it was present the day of the audiogram. Doctors don't seem to think that it is a guarante that if they took another MRI tomorrow that fluid would still be present but they were going to check with another neuroradiologist. Regardless, I don't have vertigo. My balance issue is more less constant. You can test via some basic balance tests like

- tandem walking test in low light/no light. (fail) / tandem walking test light (pass)
- Fakuda test eyes closed (fail) / Fakuda test eyes open (pass)
- balancing on one leg with eyes closed (fail) / balancing on one leg eyes open (pass)
- Romberg test eyes closed (pass) / Romberg test eyes open (pass)

Sorry to hear about the blast injury. One thing is certain, we generally don't give a lot of thought to our ears and just how important they are beyond hearing until issue. How did your vestibular testing go? You can always message me privately too. I have gone pretty deep in knowledge about the middle ear / inner ear.

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Thanks for the kind words. I am not sure if the grit is great from a patient standpoint but I wouldn't trade it regardless. Fwiw, I'm not planning to go anywhere from the sport but yeah it is going to take a lot of work to grow as an athlete. If means I am back competing as an age-grouper next year so be it but I am not ready to throw in the towel.

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Have you considered dipping into the coaching realm like a lot of other pros/former pros tend to do?

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Matt

Nothing much more than what I wrote in there. The only meaningful change is that gravel has been even more fun than I expected, and I'm headed to Kansas for Dirty Kanza next week. After that, as I planned, I'll switch to track focus with the first real race being - I think - US Elite Nats in the Pursuit.

As far as "prestigious," I'm not sure what y'all's idea of that is, but I think it's a pretty great job in every facet. I'm able to make a big impact on a product I love and use all the time; I can pay all my bills and support my family and still put some money in the bank; and I'm in the best cycling shape of my life. I dunno if that's "prestigious" or not. I love what I do and have never had even a single moment of regret about taking the job or doing what I do now versus what I did for over a decade.

When I think about my decision in 2003 to leave the "normal" desk job I had to pursue triathlon and where I've ended up - and what I accomplished over those 15 years, it's hard for me to imagine a more awesome journey. And, looking back at the decision I made eight months ago to close that particular chapter in my life, it's hard for me to imagine a more awesome ending and transition.

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"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp

No plans to go the coaching route. I am asked from time-to-time to coach but I usually refer those athletes to coaches I think do a good job and are worth their cost.

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Classic- remember that Dimond was diabolically unsafe....until it wasn't.

I'm very sorry to read this and wish you a full recovery and outstanding performance at IM Chattanooga.

Wishing you all of the best with a speedy recovery......

There is a small market for full service coach. Equipment, races selection, race Sherpa, etc. training plan of course part of it, but much more than that (and at a much higher cost).

From what I think I know about you, I can see you doing that/

Are you doing the 100 or 200? Some friends of mine are doing the 200 with hopes of finishing before dark LOL! 200 miles on gravel sounds harder than an Ironman. I might drive down to partake in the finish line celebration.

Thomas,

I was one of a few who knew about your struggles. I was watching you working hard behind the scenes. I admire you for your persistence and determination.
I know if there is a way to work around your challenges you'll do it! So, keep on keeping on.

Boki

Boki, thanks for the kind words as always :)

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Thank you, I appreciate that :)

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I would love talking about race selection, being a race sherpa etc and of course equipment selection as well. I have done some things that resemble this and have thought about doing it more at an advertised level but at the end of the day I feel like athletes put so much trust in their coaches. It is always interesting living with other triathletes and seeing/hearing what their coaches know. I have talked about this before on here, but there are some great physiology coaches but they can't have a educated discussion regarding tires/tubes. Recently, I watched an athlete pretty much destroy the field and I think they may have been on Supersonics. It certainly wasn't because of their current coach or new coach.

In general the coach model is a little bewildering to me. It amazes me sometimes what people pay for coaching (especially *celebrity* coaches) and a monthly reoccuring basis and I just can't in good conscious charge that much for coaching. Especially watching how often the athletes disregard the coaches coaching and I also know how much work those coaches put into those athletes, never mind the rest of the equipment deals, race kits, team fees, camps etc. The coaches definitely have the best and most sustainable model of professional triathletes and they have great control over their athletes and I have a hard time seeing the other camp, non-coached athletes paying a la carte for other planning and prep services but maybe there is a market for it.

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Good luck in your recovery and next steps!